Higher imports are linked to a larger young female population
Comparing Imports of goods, services and primary income (BoP, current US$) with Age population, age 24, female, interpolated across 184 countries, 2025–2025.
- Rank correlation
- +0.59
- Holding size constant
- -0.47
- Countries compared
- 184
- Period
- 2025–2025
What might link these
A growing young female population may drive demand for imported goods, while trade openness could reflect economic structures that attract such demographics. However, the reversal after controlling for GDP suggests population size or wealth mediates the relationship.
Why this is not proof of anything
This is a correlation across countries, not an experiment. It cannot show that either indicator causes the other, and both may simply follow a third thing. The partial correlation flips sign after controlling for GDP, hinting at a complex, non-linear relationship that could be misinterpreted.
The second figure above repeats the measurement with national population and income held constant. It is the more conservative number: a relationship that largely disappears there was mostly telling you that larger, richer countries have more of most things.
How this was measured
Both indicators were ranked across every country reporting each, and the two rankings compared — ranks rather than raw values, because a handful of very large countries can otherwise manufacture a relationship on their own. The calculation is arithmetic over figures already published on this site; the commentary above is drafted from the two indicator names and the resulting coefficients.